KidsTek students at North High School are swimming with the sharks this week. But instead of man-eaters, these sharks are giving business advice. Three KidsTek board members volunteered to help KidsTek students learn about developing and pitching a business idea in a project modeled on the hit TV show Shark Tank. Rich Liner, Julie Courtney, and Jeff Carr worked with students as they created their own products, completed market research, and developed advertising strategies. Once KidsTek students submit their final pitch, this team of sharks will choose one pitch as the winner.
“I was really impressed with the level of creativity the students put into their projects. Many of them could really turn into viable business concepts,” said Carr. “The overall positive energy of the students and classroom was inspirational. It was great to spend time with them.”
From rotating tires for easier parallel parking to an app that helps develop your small talk skills, groups of students brainstormed products and services with the provision that they could “use magic,” meaning they could let their imaginations run a little wild without having to detail how exactly their ideas would work in reality.
Students researched companies that might compete with their ideas in the marketplace, identified their target audience, planned strategies for reaching those audiences, and created print ads using their skills in Microsoft Word.
“It’s evident that the students put a lot of thought and effort into their business plans. I was truly impressed with their creativity – they’ve got some great product ideas and I enjoyed watching them think through the various stages of launching a new product. My hope is that this project will help them realize that they are capable of coming up with plans to achieve business and professional success,” said Courtney.
